Garment supporter



July 31, 1923 1,463,380

J. S. WALLINGFQRD GARMENT SUPPORTER Filed Feb. 24 1922 l f I 4 TTOHIVEVS Patented July 3l, 1923.

N racista trici Janus STUART wnratrnsronn,y or ranas, jnunirucar.V

oamyrnur surronrnn.

.Application `ied'rebruary 24, 1922. sensiV Nq. 538,825.

T0 @ZZ- wwm t may concern.' t

Be it known that l., JAMES STUART WALL- iNoronD, a citizenxof the `United States, and a resident of Paris, in the county of Bourbon and State of Kentucky, have invented a new rand Improved Garment Supporter, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.l 4. l

This invention relates .to garment supportersl and has particular reference to an improved clasp element.

More specifically the invention' contemplates a clasp element for use in connectionv withthose supporters which'reduces lto a minimum the tearing or destruction of the garment by distributing the supporting strainv over a wider area of the garment.

Heretofore in garment clasps the supporting. strain has been more or lesscentr'alized at one or a number of points which tends to cause tearing or breaking of the threads, resulting in runs in the stocking. y

As a further object the invention aims to produce a claspelement "forgarment supporters whichl when properly associated with ythe garment positively insures the retention of the garment against accidental displacement, while'atthe same timefpermitting of the ready release and application thereof.

With the above recited and other objects in View, the .invention resides in the novel hose supporter or suspender and operatively engaged with a stocking.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view therethrough taken approximately on the line 2--2` of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a modied form of the invention.

Fig. 4f is a sectional view taken approximately on the line 4 4: of Fig. 3. y

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, A. desi nates ,a hose or stocking and E the suspen er of a hose supporter to which the claspeleme'nt designated gene-rally at C is attached. i The clasp element kC oonl -stituting the invention 'comprises a strip of material bent approximately medially ofits ends to provide inner, and outer straps l0 and 1l, said straps being stitched kin loop form adjacent their juncture to providerL transverse tunnel 112 for thereception ofthe attaching link 13 ofthe suspender B; The

inner strap member .10..in the preferred embodiment of the invention hasl securedy to the i outer side of its lower free extremity a block 14 preferably `off-resilient material such` as rubber, which block is formed with an ingreater length than the innerfstrap lOhas se- .curedto its lower extremitya rectangular loop 16, lthe same being of greater length than its height and of a height slightly less wardly and ydownwardly beveled upper end l5. The outer strapll' .which is of.slightly than the height of the blocli .14' at its ,inner v side. The loop 16 is preferably of a length greater than the length' ofthe block '14. In use the upper edge of the garment or stockingr-2t is arranged overfthe bloclrlll andthe loopll 'is then engaged overthe port-ionof the stocking encompassing the block as illustrated y1n thedrawings. Thisarrangement places the supporting strain on the inner strap l0, while the outer strap 1l which is of greater length than the inner strap remains slack. The'clasping action is'caused `bythe `tendency of the strain exerted downwardly against the lower arm of the loop 16 by the stocking Ato impingetheupper arm into the transverse groove formed at the juncture of the beveled portion of. the block with the inner strap y10 and it will be found that' as.

the strain increases the impinging action of the upper leg increases likewise to preclude any possibility of` accidental displacement. It follows that as the strain decreases the impinging action is likewise decreased whereby` the clasp is rendered automatic in its action due tothe fact that the loop and block are of a relatively elongatednature, the supporting strain isdistributed over a lwider area to prevent centralization ofthe pulling strains. This arrangement obviates the necessity of employing a multiplicity of clasps in addition to adding to the life of the stocking. To release the clasp, it is only necessary to pull upwardly on the outer strap 1l until the upper `arm of the loop 16 is free to be swung outwardly over the upper and outer edge of the bloeit 14.1. v

1n the modified form ol' the invention illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the straps 10 and 11 carried by the suspender B are of identical formation with that of the preferred form andlilewise the loop 16 carried by the lower end of the inner strap is of similar formation. n lieu, however, of the block 111 a buckle 17 is employed which includes upper, lower and intermediate arms 18, 19 andQO connected by the end arms 21. The lower extremity of the inner strap 10 is passed between the upper and intermediate arms 18 and 2O under the lower arm 19 and finally looped and secured about the intermediate arm 20 to provide a headed member over which the upper edge or the stocking A is arranged and with which the wire loop 16 coacts in a manner identical with the preferred form of the invention. To engage the loop 16 after the upper edge of the stocking has been arranged over the block 111 or the headed member set forth in the modification, the lower leg of the loop is passed over the portion of the stocking lying thereover and drawn upwardly until the upper leg is clear to swing over the upper-edge ot the block or headed member. When the supporting strain is applied the stocking will exert a downward pull on the lower leg to impinge the upper bight formed in the stocking against the juncture of the inner strap with the block or headed element.

l claim:

1. A clasp element for garment supporters comprising inner and outer straps'having a common connection at their upper ends to each other and to a supporting element, a

block carried by the outer side of the lower extremity of the inner strap, said block having an inwardly and downwardly beveled upper edge, a loop member carried by the lower end of the outer strap having upper and lower arms the relative spacing or which is less than the height or the outer side of the block, said loop member adapted to be engaged over the block when the portion of the garment is arranged thereever to provide in the garment at the rear of said bloclr a. pair or oppositely disposed bights whereby a downward pull exerted on the lower arm will impinge the upper bight in the receiving space formed at the juncture ol' the upper edge of the block with the inner strap.

2. A clasp element for garment supporters comprising an outer and inner strap, the

latter carrying a block at its lower free extremity, said block having an inwardly and downwardly beveled upper edge, the former carrying a loop at its lowerl free end or greater' width and lesser height than the block, said loop adapted to engage over the blockl when a portion of the garment is arranged thereover to provide in the garment at the rear of said block a pair of oppositely disposed bights whereby a downward pull exerted on the lower portion of the loop will impinge the upper bight in the receiving space formed at the `juncture oit the upper edge of the block with the inner strap, the said outer strap being of greater length than the inner strap whereby said outer strap will serve only as a means for associating the loop with the supporter.

J. STUART W'ALLINGFORD. 

